Parallax correction device and method in blended optical system for use over a range of temperatures

ABSTRACT

A blended optical device includes a first objective with a first axis and a first image position adjustment means for adjusting the position of a first image. An electronic control circuitry is configured to control the first adjustment means to adjust a position of the first image. A second objective includes a second axis and a variable focus mechanism, and a blender configured to form a blended image from the first image and a second image. The electronic control circuitry is configured to receive data from the second objective regarding a range to a target of the second objective as a function of the focus setting, and to adjust the position of the first image so that the blended image is corrected for parallax errors.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/182,903, filed Jun. 15, 2016, entitled “Parallax Correction Deviceand Method in Blended Optical System for Use over a Range ofTemperatures”, which claims priority to United Kingdom PatentApplication serial number 1510725.3, filed Jun. 18, 2015, entitled“Parallax Correction Device and Method in Blended Optical System for Useover a Range of Temperatures,” which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to optics, and more particularly, isrelated to blended optical systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Image blending systems may combine image intensification (II) withthermal sensing. When such systems use more than one aperture withseparated optical axes, parallax compensation may be needed.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary prior art dual aperture optical system 100,with a first aperture 110 and a second aperture 120 directed to a targetobject 101. The optical system 100 routes a first image 111 from thefirst aperture 110 through a blending device 150, such as a prism, to aneyepiece 160. Similarly, the optical system 100 routes a second image121 from the second aperture 120 through the blending device 150 to theeyepiece 160 via a reflector 170. Due to the different perspectives ofthe first aperture 110 and the second aperture 120, the position of theimage of the target 101 within the first aperture image 111 is differentfrom the position of the image of the target 101 within the secondaperture image 121. When the first aperture image 111 and the secondaperture image 121 are blended by the blending device 150 to form ablended image 161 at the eyepiece 160, the blended image 161 displaysparallax errors.

The position of the first image 111 and/or the second image 121 may becorrected so that the images of the target 101 align in the blendedimage 161. However, this positional correction will only be appropriatefor targets at a predetermined distance from the apertures 110, 120. Inparticular, when the longitudinal axis of the first aperture 110 and thelongitudinal axis of the second aperture 120 are aligned such that theblended images of a target at a predetermined distance are aligned inthe eyepiece 160, objects at distances other than the predetermineddistance are offset in the eyepiece 160. This offset increases as thetarget distance varies from the predetermined distance. This parallaxoffset may be corrected by adjusting the position of one image or theother in the eyepiece 160. For example, circuitry may be employed toadjust the position of one image or the other in the eyepiece, such thatthe images remain aligned even as the distance of the target 101 fromthe image system 100 changes. Such circuitry is described, for example,by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0235634.

This type of parallax compensation generally uses the distance of thetarget and the distance between apertures to calculate the image offsetcorrection amount. The distance of the target is determined from thefocus setting required to produce a focused image of the target. Thisrequires that the depth of focus of the optics is sufficiently smallthat a change in object distance causes the object to go out of focus,thereby requiring a change to the focus setting, before a parallax errorbecomes apparent. However, under certain conditions, such as a largechange of temperature, the focus setting may not be a function of thedistance of the target alone. Optics with a sufficiently small depth offocus are typically sensitive to thermal defocus, thereby requiring achange to the focus setting when subjected to a large change oftemperature. Therefore, the correct image offset for parallaxcompensation cannot be determined from the focus setting alone underthese conditions. There is a need in the industry to address theabovementioned deficiencies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a parallax correctiondevice and method in a blended optical system capable of operating overa wide range of temperatures. Briefly described, the present inventionis directed to a blended optical device including a first objective witha first axis and a first image position adjustment means for adjustingthe position of a first image. An electronic control circuitry isconfigured to control the first adjustment means to adjust a position ofthe first image. A second objective includes a second axis and avariable focus mechanism, and a blender configured to form a blendedimage from the first image and a second image. The electronic controlcircuitry is configured to receive data from the second objectiveregarding a range to a target of the second objective as a function ofthe focus setting, and to adjust the position of the first image so thatthe blended image is corrected for parallax errors. When both objectivesare athermal, the parallax error correction is accurate over a range oftemperatures.

Other systems, methods and features of the present invention will be orbecome apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon examiningthe following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, and features be included in thisdescription, be within the scope of the present invention and protectedby the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present invention. The drawingsillustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with thedescription, serve to explain the principals of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art optical system uncorrectedfor parallax errors.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary first embodiment of anoptical system for correcting parallax errors over a range oftemperatures.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary second embodiment of anoptical system for correcting parallax errors over a range oftemperatures.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for correcting parallaxerrors in a blended optical device over a range of temperatures.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a system forexecuting functionality of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following definitions are useful for interpreting terms applied tofeatures of the embodiments disclosed herein, and are meant only todefine elements within the disclosure. No limitations on terms usedwithin the claims are intended, or should be derived, thereby. Termsused within the appended claims should only be limited by theircustomary meaning within the applicable arts.

As far as possible, the invention has been described using terms such as“objective,” “detector,” “display,” and “display optics,” all of whichshould be considered to apply in their broadest possible senses.

As used within this disclosure, “thermal defocus” refers to a change inthe focus position of an optical aperture on axis with temperaturechanges due to the variation of the index of refraction (n) withtemperature (dn/dT) and the expansion of the optical lens material andthe aperture housing material. The expansion and contraction of amaterial due to temperature changes is governed by a coefficient ofthermal expansion α of a material, which has units of 10⁻⁶/° C. (orppm/° C.). The change in length (L) of a housing material due to atemperature change (ΔT) is given byΔL=α _(H) LΔT  (Eq. 1)where α_(H) is the thermal expansion coefficient of the housingmaterial. The analogous equation quantifying the change in focal length(f) of a lens in air with temperature (T) is given byΔf=−γfΔT  (Eq. 2)where γ is the thermal glass constant, which is given byγ=(dn/dT)/(n−1)−α  (Eq. 3)where α is the thermal expansion coefficient of the optical lensmaterial. In general, thermal defocus is caused by changing the distancebetween the objective and the focal plane due to expansion orcontraction of the housing material. If the change in housing length isequal to the change in focus due to the lens, then the defocus is zero,and the system is considered athermal.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the presentinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in thedrawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

As described above, previous parallax correction systems for imagingdevices were based upon adjusting the position of at least one imagecomponent of a blended image based solely on the focus setting position,assuming that the focus setting is a reliable indicator of the distancebetween the imaging device and the image target. However, these systemsdo not account for other conditions that may require a change to thefocus setting, in particular, thermal defocus of one or more aperturesin the imaging device. In order to perform the correction over a rangeof temperatures, the effect of thermal defocus should be accounted for.Exemplary embodiments achieve this by athermalising the objectives, oralternatively, if the thermal defocus is characterised as a function oftemperature, temperature sensors may be used to determine an offset forthe focus setting.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention correct for the parallaxerror present in blended optical systems using separate apertures. Theembodiments achieve this by using the focus setting position of at leastone aperture to determine an offset for a displayed image. This requiresthat the depth of focus of at least one of the apertures is sufficientlysmall that a change in object distance requires the optics to berefocused before a parallax error becomes apparent. This results in theuser effectively experiencing no parallax error, as objects at distancesfor which parallax exists are sufficiently out of focus to make theerror insignificant. The descriptions of the embodiments indicate howparallax correction can be implemented within a blended optical systemthat is exposed to a wide temperature range, enabling such a system tomaintain optical alignment across a wide range of temperatures.

FIG. 2 shows a first exemplary embodiment of the invention based upon ablended optical system. A blended optical system 200 includes a firstobjective 210, for example, a fixed-focus, passively athermalisedthermal objective with a first optical axis. A second objective 220 hasa second optical axis, for example, a passively athermalisedimage-intensifier (II) objective having a focus mechanism 230, such as amovable lens. An image from the second objective 220, for example, theimage of an object 201, is focused onto an II tube 245. The output fromthe II tube 245 may be collimated by a collimator 260 so that it may beviewed through a separate sight (not shown). An image blender 250, suchas a beam splitter prism, for example, located in or before thecollimator 260, allows the collimator 260 to view both the image fromthe II tube 245 and the image from an electronic display 270. Theelectronic display 270 is used to display the image from a thermalcamera 280. It should be noted that in alternative embodiments thecollimator 260 may be omitted, or replaced by another optical element,for example, an eyepiece, magnifier optics, an image detector, oranother device.

The range of the object 201 focused upon by the second objective 220 isconveyed to an electronic control circuitry 290. For example, a positionof the focus mechanism 230 is conveyed to the electronic controlcircuitry 290 by a focus mechanism connection 235, such as an electricalor optical lead. The electronic control circuitry 290 is configured toreceive a thermal image from the thermal camera 280 via a cameraconnection 285, which may be an optical or an electrical connection. Theelectronic control circuitry 290 is configured to convey the thermalimage to the electronic display via a display connection 295, which maybe an optical or an electrical connection. The position of the focusmechanism 230 is measured by the electronic control circuitry 290, whichdetermines the range to the object 201 accordingly and adjusts theposition of the thermal image on the display 270 to eliminate theparallax error for the range at which the second objective 220 isfocused. The electronic control circuitry 290 may be implemented, forexample, by a computer, as discussed further below. In alternativeembodiments the focus mechanism connection 235, the camera connection285, and/or the display connection 295, may be wireless connections.

The electronic control circuitry 290 may register the position of thefocus mechanism 230 as it changes to focus at a different range. A lawrelating the movement of the focus lens 230 to the range at which the IIobjective 220 is focused may be stored within the electronic controlcircuitry 290, as is discussed further below. For example, the law thatis stored may relate the movement of the focus lens to the desiredparallax correction, and may relate the voltage across a rotarypotentiometer, which measures the position of the focus lens 230.

It is desirable that the second objective 220 is passively athermalisedso that any change in the position of the focus mechanism 230 is knownto be purely related to a change in distance of the object 201, ratherthan correcting for a thermal defocus of objective 220. In addition, anyfocus offsets used to correct for manufacturing tolerances of the secondobjective 220 should preferably be incorporated into the range findingcalculation, for example, such an offset may be added to or subtractedfrom the recorded position of the focus mechanism 230. This requiresthat the same focus offset can be used to correct the manufacturingtolerances of the second objective under all conditions, for example,over the full temperature range and for all object distances.

As mentioned above, a law relating the parallax error for the thermalobjective at a given range is also stored in the electronic controlcircuitry 290. The law may directly relate the focus lens position tothe required parallax correction. Although the range is the value whichlinks the focus lens position to the required parallax correction, therange may not be directly calculated as the range is not specificallyrequired. As a result, the electronic control circuitry 290 is able tooffset the image on the display 270 by the correct amount to correct forthe parallax error when the images are combined in the image blender250.

Under the first embodiment, the correction may be determined in terms ofpixels as the image being moved is on a pixelated display. Thecorrection is a translation of one of the images relative to the other.For alternative embodiments, this translation may be converted intoappropriate units to perform the correction, dependent upon thecorrection method that has been implemented. The image position may becorrected by displacing the beam splitter prism 250 along the axis ofthe collimator 260, for example. In that case, the correction may be interms of a signal, for example, voltage, to be sent to a linearactuator.

The collimator optics 260 aid viewing the display 270 and the II tube245 output using, for example, an auxiliary sight (not shown). As notedabove, in alternative embodiments the collimator optics 260 may beexchanged for an eyepiece or magnifier optics, an image detector, otheroptical elements, or omitted completely. Similarly, in alternativeembodiments, the display 270, II tube 245 and beam splitter 250 may besubstituted for by other elements, or omitted, although the parallaxerror may not be evident without some method of displaying the imagesfrom the two objectives 210, 220 in a blended or fused manner.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention based upon a blendedoptical system. Under the second embodiment 300 there are at least twooptical systems 310, 320 with optical axes 301, 302 separated by adistance D, conveying outputs 331, 332 to detectors 371 and 372respectively. While the optical systems 310, 320 may include opticaland/or thermal objectives, the two optical systems 310, 320 need not bethermal and II objectives, and the detectors 371, 372 need not be athermal camera and/or an II tube as per the first embodiment.

The first optical system 310 may convey first range information 341 fora target to an electronic control circuitry 390. The first rangeinformation 341 may be an actual calculated distance, or may beinformation about a focusing mechanism (not shown) within the firstoptical system 310, for example, a position of a focusing lens, or acombination thereof. The first range information 341 may also includethermal data as described further below, such as a temperaturemeasurement, to be used by the control circuitry 390 to calculate thethermal defocus of the first optical system 310. The first opticalsystem 310 conveys the output 331 to the first detector 371. The output331 may be an optical image, or output 331 may be data that may beconverted into a first optical image 381 by the first detector 371. Theelectronic control circuitry 390 may be implemented, for example, by acomputer, as discussed further below.

A thermal sensor 340, or a number of thermal sensors, may be incommunication with the electronic control circuitry 390. The thermalsensor 340 may be, for example, a thermistor or thermopile. The thermalsensor 340 may also be integrated with the first objective 310 and/orthe second objective 320. As mentioned above, thermal defocus may occurwhen a housing of the first objective 310 and/or second objective 320changes due to a change in thermal conditions. The thermal sensor 340 isconfigured to detect thermal conditions that may contribute to thermaldefocus of the first objective 310 and/or the second objective 320. Forexample, the thermal sensor 340 may be configured to determine theambient temperature at the first objective 310 and/or second objective320, and/or the temperature of the housing of the first objective 310and/or second objective 320.

The second optical system 320 may convey range information 342 for atarget to the electronic control circuitry 390. The second rangeinformation 342 may be an actual calculated distance, or may beinformation about a focusing mechanism (not shown) within the secondoptical system 320, for example, a position of a focusing lens, or acombination thereof. The second range information 342 may also includethermal data, such as a temperature measurement collected by the thermalsensor 340, to be used by the control circuitry 390 to calculate thethermal defocus of the second optical system 320. The second opticalsystem 320 conveys an output 332 to the second detector 372. The output332 may be an optical image, or the output 332 may be data that may beconverted into a second optical image 382 by the second detector 372.

The first optical image 381 and the second optical image 382 arecombined by an optical blender 350, such that the first optical image381 and the second optical image 382 are overlaid at an image collector360, for example, an eyepiece, a collimator, or an image detectingdevice, among other possible image collectors. The position of the firstoptical image 381 may be adjusted by the first detector 371 based upon afirst control signal 391 received from the electronic control circuitry390. Alternatively, or in addition, the position of the second opticalimage 382 may be adjusted by the second detector 372 based upon a secondcontrol signal 392 received from the electronic control circuitry 390.The adjustment by the first detector 371 and/or the second detector 372results in the blended image at the image collector 360 being adjustedto correct for parallax errors.

It should be noted that the second optical system 320 may have a fixedfocus, in which case the second range information 342 and second controlsignal 392 may be omitted, as per the first embodiment, where one of theobjectives described is a fixed-focus objective. In this case, thesecond optical system 320 must also be passively athermalised in orderto maintain focus over the operating temperature range. While this maysimplify the system 300, it is not necessary for the purposes of thesecond embodiment. More generally, under the second embodiment 300 bothobjectives 310, 320 may include a focus mechanism. In this case, thefocus mechanisms may be linked such that both objectives 310, 320 arefocused at the same range at all times, so that the range for which theparallax needs to be corrected by the electronic circuitry 390 is alwaysknown.

Furthermore, the objectives 310, 320 need not be passively athermalised.As long as it is possible to determine what portion of the focusmovement is being used to refocus for a given range, then the secondembodiment will properly correct for parallax errors. This may beachieved, for example, through the use of temperature sensors within theobjectives 310, 320. By characterizing the thermal defocus as a functionof the temperatures recorded by the sensors, the proportion of the focusmovement that is used to refocus for the object range may be calculated.When neither objective 310, 320 is passively athermal, and a linkedfocus mechanism is used to refocus the objectives 310, 320 for bothchanges in target range and thermal defocus, the objectives 310, 320 aredesigned such that a first ratio between the focus movements required tofocus each objective 310, 320 for a change in target range matches asecond ratio between the focus movements required to focus eachobjective 310, 320 for a change in temperature. The depth of focus of atleast one of the objectives 310, 320 should be sufficiently small to usea focus mechanism in order to resolve target objects at differentranges.

Both of the objectives 310, 320 and their associated detectors 371, 372may be configured to detect any waveband. If one of the wavebands isvisible, then a corresponding detector 371, 372 for the correspondingobjective 310, 320 may be omitted. In addition, it is not necessary forjust one of the detectors 371, 372 to create an electronic image, as inthe first embodiment. Both, or neither, of the detectors 371, 372 canproduce an electronic image, with the method of displaying said imagechanging to suit the application, as long the images are blended oroverlaid in some manner, for example by the optical blender 350, suchthat any parallax errors can be seen.

In some scenarios, the determination of best focus may be carried out byan electronically implemented process, for example, with the electroniccontrol circuitry 390. The position of the focus mechanism, for example,within objectives 310, 320, can be used to determine the necessaryparallax correction. It is desirable that the depth of focus besufficiently small that a focus mechanism is required in order toresolve objects at different ranges. However, this does not necessarilyrequire the focusing to be performed by a user. The above embodimentsremain applicable if an electronic auto-focus algorithm can determinethat a focus adjustment is required, based upon a captured image. Notethat as a result the image from the objective with the sufficientlysmall depth of focus should be captured electronically.

It should be noted that, in the case where more than one image iscaptured electronically, this process may be applied in reverse. Insteadof using the auto-focus algorithm to generate a parallax correction, anestimation of the parallax error may be used to determine the correctfocus position. By electronically comparing the captured images 381,382, and determining the offset which minimizes the structuraldifferences between them, a prediction of the object distance can bemade. This predictive value may be used to refocus the objective(s) 310,320. Alternatively, the two methods can be used together to improve theconfidence with which a range prediction is made. The relativesensitivity of a given optical system to parallax errors and focuserrors determines which of these methods is preferable for a givenapplication.

For an optical system such as the first embodiment, where not all of thedetectors generate electronic images, the images are blended or overlaidoptically. The image blending/overlaying may be achieved, for example,using beam splitters, as described previously. Alternatively,transparent displays, for example, using OLED technology, may be used.The correction succeeds as long as the position of one or more of theimages on the display is controlled and matched to the parallaxcorrection.

While multiple electronic images may be blended optically as well usingseparate displays, it is also possible to electronically blend theimages. A variety of blending algorithms are available, but for thepurposes of the abovementioned embodiments only the position of theimages need be adjusted to correct for the parallax error.

The images do not necessarily need to be adjusted electronically. Inalternative embodiments, the position of the display may be adjustedphysically, for example, using piezo-electric actuators. Similarly, evenif none of the objectives uses a detector to produce an electronicimage, for example, for a blended optical system with a visibleobjective and a separate near infrared (NIR) objective using an II tube,the embodiment is still applicable if the position of one of the imagesis adjusted, through the physical movement of a lens or prism forexample, in order to remove any parallax error. In such an embodiment,the signals 341, 342, 391 and 392, and the electronic control circuitry390, may be replaced by mechanical linkages. As detailed earlier, thereare a number of options for the display optics, including no optics atall, all of which fall within the remit of these embodiments.

As described above, the objectives and their associated detectors may bechanged without affecting the underlying function of the embodiments.The wavebands of the objectives can cover any portion of theelectromagnetic spectrum: ultraviolet, visible, NIR, short waveinfrared, mid-wave infrared, long wave infrared, far infrared, etcetera. Indeed, any emission that can be remotely detected and isdirectional, such as sound, may be used, provided there is a method bywhich that information can be displayed.

The objectives in the first and/or second embodiment may be purelyrefractive (dioptric). However, purely reflective (catoptric)objectives, or objectives utilising both refractive and reflectivecomponents (catadioptric) are also possible. Also, alternativeembodiments may include two, three, four, or more objectives.

Other embodiments are also possible. Since the abovementionedembodiments may be thought of as rudimentary range finders, inalternative embodiments the calculated range may be displayed to theuser. The accuracy of this information will depend greatly on the depthof focus of the objective and on accuracy to which the objective can befocused. To this end an objective with an annular pupil, for example, asresults from a central obscuration in catoptric or catadioptricobjectives, can make it easier to determine the best focus.

Preferably, the parallax error in the system will be negligible over theobject range that lies within the depth of focus of the objective. Thiscan be achieved in a number of different ways, but typically it ispreferable if the separation between the optical axes is minimized, andthe focal length and numerical aperture of the objective(s) using thefocus mechanism are maximized. The materials used for the optics arepreferably suitable for the wavebands being imaged, and similarlysuitable choices should made to achieve passive athermalisation ifrequired.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for correcting parallax andthermal errors in a blended optical device. It should be noted that anyprocess descriptions or blocks in flowcharts should be understood asrepresenting modules, segments, portions of code, or steps that includeone or more instructions for implementing specific logical functions inthe process, and alternative implementations are included within thescope of the present invention in which functions may be executed out oforder from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrentlyor in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as wouldbe understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the presentinvention.

An optical device, as described referencing the second embodiment shownin FIG. 3, includes a first objective 310 having a first optical axis301 and a second objective 320 having a second optical axis 302. A firstimage 381 of a target from the first objective 310 is generated, asshown by block 410. A second image 382 of the target from a secondobjective 320 is generated, as shown by block 420. The first image 381and the second image 382 are blended, as shown by block 430, forexample, with an optical image blender 350. A range of the target fromoptical device 300 is determined, as shown by block 440. The range ofthe target is calculated from the setting position of the focusmechanism used to generate a focused image of the target. A temperatureof the optical device 300 may also be determined, as shown by block 450.The focus setting required to correct the thermal defocus at thistemperature is calculated and this value is subtracted from the focusmechanism position used in block 440. A position of the first image 381relative to the second image 382 in the blended image is determined,based on the range and/or temperature as shown by block 460.

As mentioned previously the order of the blocks of FIG. 4 may bedifferent from the order presented. For example, the steps of optionallydetermining the temperature of the optical device, determining a rangeto the target, generating a first image of the target from the firstobjective, and generating a second image of the target from the secondobjective may occur in parallel. Thereafter the position of the firstimage relative to the second image is blended based on the range and/ortemperature.

As previously mentioned, the present system for executing thefunctionality described in detail above may be a computer, an example ofwhich is shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 5. The system 500contains a processor 502, a storage device 504, a memory 506 havingsoftware 508 stored therein that defines the abovementionedfunctionality, input and output (I/O) devices 510 (or peripherals), anda local bus, or local interface 512 allowing for communication withinthe system 500. The local interface 512 can be, for example but notlimited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, asis known in the art. The local interface 512 may have additionalelements, which are omitted for simplicity, such as controllers, buffers(caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, to enable communications.Further, the local interface 512 may include address, control, and/ordata connections to enable appropriate communications among theaforementioned components.

The processor 502 is a hardware device for executing software,particularly that stored in the memory 506. The processor 502 can be anycustom made or commercially available single core or multi-coreprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor amongseveral processors associated with the present system 500, asemiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chipset), a macroprocessor, or generally any device for executing softwareinstructions.

The memory 506 can include any one or combination of volatile memoryelements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM,etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape,CDROM, etc.). Moreover, the memory 506 may incorporate electronic,magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Note that thememory 506 can have a distributed architecture, where various componentsare situated remotely from one another, but can be accessed by theprocessor 502.

The software 508 defines functionality performed by the system 500, inaccordance with the present invention. The software 508 in the memory506 may include one or more separate programs, each of which contains anordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logicalfunctions of the system 500, as described below. The memory 506 maycontain an operating system (O/S) 520. The operating system essentiallycontrols the execution of programs within the system 500 and providesscheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memorymanagement, and communication control and related services.

The I/O devices 510 may include input devices, for example but notlimited to, a hand or finger controlled actuator, a keyboard, mouse,scanner, microphone, etc. Furthermore, the I/O devices 510 may alsoinclude output devices, for example but not limited to, a printer,display, etc. Finally, the I/O devices 510 may further include devicesthat communicate via both inputs and outputs, for instance but notlimited to, a modulator/demodulator (modem; for accessing anotherdevice, system, or network), a radio frequency (RF) or othertransceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, or otherdevice.

When the system 500 is in operation, the processor 502 is configured toexecute the software 508 stored within the memory 506, to communicatedata to and from the memory 506, and to generally control operations ofthe system 500 pursuant to the software 508, as explained above.

When the functionality of the system 500 is in operation, the processor502 is configured to execute the software 508 stored within the memory506, to communicate data to and from the memory 506, and to generallycontrol operations of the system 500 pursuant to the software 508. Theoperating system 520 is read by the processor 502, perhaps bufferedwithin the processor 502, and then executed.

When the system 500 is implemented in software 508, it should be notedthat instructions for implementing the system 500 can be stored on anycomputer-readable medium for use by or in connection with anycomputer-related device, system, or method. Such a computer-readablemedium may, in some embodiments, correspond to either or both the memory506 or the storage device 504. In the context of this document, acomputer-readable medium is an electronic, magnetic, optical, or otherphysical device or means that can contain or store a computer programfor use by or in connection with a computer-related device, system, ormethod. Instructions for implementing the system can be embodied in anycomputer-readable medium for use by or in connection with the processoror other such instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.Although the processor 502 has been mentioned by way of example, suchinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device may, in someembodiments, be any computer-based system, processor-containing system,or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. Inthe context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” can be anymeans that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the programfor use by or in connection with the processor or other such instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device.

Such a computer-readable medium can be, for example but not limited to,an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. Morespecific examples (a nonexhaustive list) of the computer-readable mediumwould include the following: an electrical connection (electronic)having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), arandom access memory (RAM) (electronic), a read-only memory (ROM)(electronic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM,or Flash memory) (electronic), an optical fiber (optical), and aportable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). Note that thecomputer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable mediumupon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronicallycaptured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or othermedium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitablemanner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

In an alternative embodiment, where the system 500 is implemented inhardware, the system 500 can be implemented with any or a combination ofthe following technologies, which are each well known in the art: adiscrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logicfunctions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gatearray(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

Returning to FIG. 2, in experiments using a device 200 according to thefirst embodiment, a 25.4 mm focal length thermal objective 210 wasfocused onto an uncooled detector 280 with a pixel pitch of 17 μm. Inaddition, a 67.235 mm focal length II objective 220 was focused onto anII tube 245. The apertures of these two objectives 210, 220 wereseparated vertically by 40 mm, and the optical axes of the two systemswere parallel. The electronic control circuitry 290 electronicallyscaled the image from the thermal camera 280 by a factor of three, anddisplayed on an organic light emitting diode display 270 with a pixelpitch of 15 μm. Scaling the thermal image matched the thermal image tothe II image.

Both objectives 210, 220 were nearly free of distortion. The objectives210, 220 measured less than 0.1% barrel distortion over the wholefield-of-view for the II objective 220, and less than 0.12% barreldistortion for the thermal objective 210. 0.12% distortion at the edgeof the field-of-view equates to less than one quarter of a pixel on thethermal camera 280 so this distortion was effectively negligible. As aresult, any realignment of the two images relative to each otherrealigned the image over the whole field-of-view. If significantlydifferent amounts of distortion had existed between the two images, thenthe images would have had to have been realigned by different amounts ateach point in the field-of-view.

An aim of the first embodiment was for the parallax correction to workfor object distances from infinity down to 5 m. At 5 m, a point which isin line with the optical axis of the II objective is at an angle of 8milliradians below the optical axis of the thermal objective. Given thatthe thermal objective is almost distortion-free, a person havingordinary skill in the art will recognize that this equates to an offseton the thermal camera of just under 12 pixels.

As the image realignment occurred on the display, where each thermalcamera pixel was mapped onto three display pixels, the parallaxcorrection had a resolution of one-third of a thermal camera pixel. Inthis way, 36 levels of adjustment were possible for the range frominfinity to 5 m.

The object distances corresponding to each of these 36 offsets ofone-third of a thermal camera pixel were calculated. The movement of theII objective focus lens required to refocus at each of these objectdistances was then calculated.

The focus mechanism for the II objective was driven by an eccentric thatconverts the rotation of the focusing control into the linear motion ofthe focusing lens. At assembly, the position of the eccentric was set toensure that the relationship between the rotation of the control and themotion of the lens was approximately linear. As such, each of thecalculated II focus lens movements was mapped onto a rotation of thefocus control.

A rotary potentiometer was attached to the focus control, and theelectronic control circuitry was thereby able to determine therotational position of the focus control in terms of a measured voltage.At assembly the voltage reading corresponding to the focus setting foran object at infinity was measured and stored within the electroniccontrol circuitry. This focus setting therefore included a focus offsetto correct for the manufacturing tolerances of the II objective.

The electronic control circuitry 290 took the difference between themeasured voltage and the stored infinity setting voltage, and this wasused as the input into a look-up table stored within the electroniccontrol circuitry 290. This look-up table converted the voltagedifference into a display pixel offset, via the various mappingspreviously calculated. The electronic control circuitry 290 used thisoffset value to adjust the position of the thermal image on the display270. In this way, the parallax offset was removed, and the two imagespresented to the collimator 260, via the beam splitter prism 250, werealigned.

This process was very fast, and was applicable without introducing anyadditional lag to the displayed image. Table 1 summarizes the variousrelationships described above.

TABLE 1 Angle into Parallax II focus Rotary Object thermal error IIfocus lens control potentiometer distance objective (display movementrotation measurement (m) (mrad) pixels) (mm) (°) (V) Infinity 0.00 00.00 0.0 0 179 0.22 1 0.04 1.5 5 90 0.45 2 0.08 3.0 9 60 0.67 3 0.12 4.414 45 0.89 4 0.15 5.9 18 36 1.11 5 0.19 7.3 23 30 1.34 6 0.23 8.7 27 261.56 7 0.27 10.1 31 22 1.78 8 0.31 11.5 36 20 2.01 9 0.35 12.9 40 182.23 10 0.38 14.3 44 16 2.45 11 0.42 15.6 48 15 2.67 12 0.46 17.0 53 142.90 13 0.50 18.3 57 13 3.12 14 0.53 19.7 61 12 3.34 15 0.57 21.0 6511.2 3.57 16 0.61 22.4 69 10.6 3.79 17 0.65 23.7 73 10.0 4.01 18 0.6825.0 78 9.4 4.24 19 0.72 26.4 82 9.0 4.46 20 0.76 27.7 86 8.5 4.68 210.79 29.0 90 8.2 4.90 22 0.83 30.3 94 7.8 5.13 23 0.87 31.7 98 7.5 5.3524 0.90 33.0 102 7.2 5.57 25 0.94 34.3 106 6.9 5.80 26 0.98 35.7 111 6.66.02 27 1.01 37.0 115 6.4 6.24 28 1.05 38.4 119 6.2 6.46 29 1.09 39.7123 6.0 6.69 30 1.12 41.1 127 5.8 6.91 31 1.16 42.4 132 5.6 7.13 32 1.1943.8 136 5.4 7.36 33 1.23 45.2 140 5.3 7.58 34 1.27 46.6 144 5.1 7.80 351.30 48.0 149 5.0 8.02 36 1.34 49.4 153

The following details regarding the effect of thermal focus shiftillustrate the importance of considering the effect of thermal defocuswhen attempting to perform parallax correction based upon a focussetting position. The use of the focus setting position to correct for aparallax error relies upon being able to correlate the focus settingposition to a given range, or object distance). If the lens beingfocused also loses focus due to thermal perturbations (changes to therefractive indices of the lenses and material expansion in both thelenses and the housings in which they are mounted), then the focussetting position becomes dependent upon the temperature change as wellas a change in object distance.

The amount of thermal defocus, and therefore the amount of focus lensmovement required to correct for it, depends on the lens design inquestion. For example, a plastic singlet in a metal housing maytypically exhibit a significant amount of thermal defocus, as the focallength of the plastic lens changes much more than the housing expands.Similarly, a glass singlet in a plastic housing tends to lose focus withtemperature, for the opposite reasons.

However, it is possible to create athermal lens designs, such as lensdesigns which do not lose focus with temperature, using plastic lensesin metal housings, or using glass lenses in plastic housings, or anysuch mix. The practice of athermalising optical designs is wellunderstood, requiring only that the thermal properties of the variousmaterials are known.

Even if a lens is not athermal, parallax correction is still achievableif the thermal defocus contribution to the focus setting position can bedetermined. This becomes difficult if there are significant cross-termsand/or if the relationships are highly non-linear.

As an example, a lens of a very similar design to the II objective inthe first embodiment was selected. In this case, however, the lensdesign was not athermalised as the focus lens was intended to be usedfor both close focus and thermal defocus correction. The table 2 belowdetails the focus lens movements required to refocus for a set ofdifferent conditions, which represent the extreme values of the objectdistance and temperature ranges.

TABLE 2 Focus lens movement to refocus at temperature Object distance+20° C. +70° C. −40° C. Infinity 0.000 mm 0.250 mm 0.375 mm 10 m 1.045mm 1.300 mm 1.340 mm

The first observation is that all of the movements are in the samedirection, so that the focus lens movements are not linear with respectto temperature. Secondly, the amount of refocusing required to correctfor the thermal defocus is relatively large compared to the movementrequired for close focus. For example, the 0.375 mm of focus movementrequired to correct for a drop of 60° C. is the same as the focuscorrection required to refocus from 10 m to 15.7 m at +20° C. This wouldhave been equivalent to a parallax error of more than 6 display pixels(or 2 detector pixels) in the first embodiment.

Finally, there are also small cross-terms between the movement requiredto refocus at 10 m and the temperature. At +70° C. the movement forclose focus is 1.050 mm, while at −40° C. movement for close focus is0.965 mm. If the 0.965 mm value is used at +70° C., it is equivalent tobeing focused at 9.4 m, while the 1.050 mm shift at −40° C. equates toan object distance of 10.6 m. These errors are not large, but both wouldhave resulted in a parallax error of one display pixel in the firstembodiment. For comparison, an image misalignment of 2.25 display pixelsor greater is considered to be unacceptable for this embodiment.

In summary, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the structure of the presentinvention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present inventioncover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fallwithin the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A blended optical device, comprising: a firstobjective, comprising a first axis and a first image position adjustmentmeans configured to adjust the position of a first image collected bythe first objective; an electronic control circuitry configured tocontrol the first adjustment means to adjust a position of the firstimage; a second objective, comprising a second axis and a variable focusmechanism; a thermal sensor in communication with the electronic controlcircuitry; and a blender configured to form a blended image from thefirst image and a second image collected by the second objective,wherein the first objective and/or the second objective are notpassively athermalised, the electronic control circuitry is configuredto receive thermal data and range data from the second objectiveregarding a range to a target of the second objective and adjust theposition of the first image so that the blended image is corrected forthermal errors and parallax errors.
 2. The device of claim 1, whereinthe first objective comprises a fixed focus.
 3. The device of claim 1,wherein the first objective comprises a variable focus mechanism.
 4. Thedevice of claim 3, wherein the first focus mechanism is linked with thesecond focus mechanism.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein; the linkedfocus mechanism is configured to refocus the first objective and thesecond objective for changes in target range and thermal defocus; and afirst ratio between the focus movements of the first objective and thesecond objective used to focus each objective for a change in targetrange matches a second ratio between the focus movements of the firstobjective and the second objective used to focus each objective for achange in temperature.
 6. A method for correcting parallax errors in ablended optical device over a range of temperatures, comprising a firstobjective having a first optical axis and a second objective having asecond optical axis, comprising the steps of: generating a first imageof a target from the first objective; generating a second image of thetarget from a second objective; blending the first image and the secondimage; adjusting the focus setting of the first and/or second opticalobjective due to a change in temperature; and adjusting a position ofthe first image relative to the second image in the blended image basedon the range and temperature.
 7. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising the step of determining a range of the target from opticaldevice.
 8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step ofdetermining a temperature of the optical device.
 9. The method of claim6 wherein the first objective and/or the second objective is passivelyathermalised.
 10. The method of claim 6, wherein the first objectivecomprises a fixed focus.
 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the firstobjective comprises a variable focus mechanism.
 12. The method of claim11, wherein the first focus mechanism is linked with a second focusmechanism.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first focus mechanismand/or a second focus mechanism further comprises an electronicauto-focus.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:estimating a parallax error between the first objective and the secondobjective; and determining a correct focus for the first and/or secondobjective based at least in part upon the parallax error.